Taking Mac In For Service - How to Secure My Data

I need to take my G5 in for service today. I'm concerned about the technicians having access to sensitive data on the system. Besides backing everything from the documents folder off to a firewire drive that I'll keep at home, what steps would:
a) protect passwords, account numbers, etc.
b) still allow the repair shop the access they need to run the system and troubleshoot.
c) prevent someone from installing a keylogger or similar security threat which I would not be able to detect when I get the machine back.
Related questions:
1) If I backup and then delete the system.keychain before giving them the system, will the mac generate a new keychain which they can use during the repair; and will I be able to replace it when I get the machine back?
2) If there are multiple user accounts on the machine, are there multiple keychains, and if so where are they?
Thanks much!

Király's post describes exactly what I do. I clone the drive to a spare, and then do an erase-and-install of generic OS X with none of my personal files, before sending the machine in. When the machine comes back, I clone my entire drive back to the Mac. I do this because:
1. I don't want to lose any data, so I back it all up.
2. I do not want others logging into my account or having access to my data, so I take it all off the drive.
3. Even if I had no confidential info, I would not want people screwing with my personally tuned configuration or installing or accidentally deleting things.
By cloning out, wiping, and cloning back, I ensure that the drive contents after it returns from service are 100% exactly what I had before I sent it out, no matter what the techs did.

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